Cooper v. Albuquerque National Bank

404 P.2d 125, 75 N.M. 295
CourtNew Mexico Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 12, 1965
Docket7540
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 404 P.2d 125 (Cooper v. Albuquerque National Bank) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Mexico Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cooper v. Albuquerque National Bank, 404 P.2d 125, 75 N.M. 295 (N.M. 1965).

Opinion

CHAVEZ, Justice.

This is an appeal from a judgment in favor of plaintiffs-appellees in the sum of $52,000.

Appellees filed suit alleging that from October 14, 1953, to March 15, 1958, certain checks drawn in favor of appellees in the total amount of $119,551.35 were paid by appellant Bank on forged, unauthorized, unlawful, fraudulent, or irregular endorsements; that appellees had no knowledge thereof until October 28, 1958, but that appellant knew or should have known thereof prior to said date. Appellant’s answer denied both the alleged amount of such checks and that the endorsements on such checks were forged, unauthorized, unlawful, fraudulent or irregular. Appellant also denied that it had knowledge of any such checks having been wrongfully endorsed and that appellees did not have knowledge thereof. As a separate and alternative defense, appellant alleged that appellees were estopped from maintaining the action because the conduct of appellees and their predecessors was the proximate cause of their loss; that appellees’ loss resulted proximately from their own negligence; that appellees’ loss resulted solely and proximately from the breach by appellees or their predecessors of their fiduciary duties as Trustees of the New Mexico Pipe Trades Welfare Trust Fund; and that appellees were guilty of laches. Appellant further alleged, as an alternative defense, that it had no knowledge of any breach of fiduciary obligation to appellees by any fiduciary of appellees,, and that it had no duty to make inquiry in that regard.

The parties stipulated the following facts:

“1. That during the period from October 14, 1953, to March 13, 1958, various persons and firms, for valuable consideration, executed checks drawn upon various banks, payable to New Mexico Pipe Trades Welfare Trust Fund, which checks were delivered to John A. Peke, who was Administrator of said trust and who was also ■ General Manager of Associated Plumbing, Heating and Piping Contractors of New Mexico, Inc.
“2. That the said John A. Peke endorsed said checks by rubber
‘stamp endorsement in the follow-'!lihg-form:
‘NEW MEXICO PIPE TRADES ' WELFARE TRUST FUND 118 Cedar N. E.
" Albuquerque, N. Mex.’ which endorsement was immediately •followed by another stamp endorsement in the following form :
‘Pay to the Order of
ALBUQUERQUE NATIONAL ' ‘ ■ BANK
Albuquerque, ■ New Mexico
FOR DEPOSIT ONLY
All prior endorsements guaranteed • A-25'4 Associated Plumbing A-254
Heating & Piping Contractors of New Mexico, Inc.
118 N. Cedar.’
That attached hereto is a copy of a check handled and endorsed in the aforementioned manner.
“3. That the said John A. Peke presented the said checks to the Albuquerque National Bank for deposit in the account of Associated Plumbing, Heating and Piping Contractors of New Mexico, Inc., 'and said checks were deposited in said account.
“4. All facts heretofore admitted in ■ the pleadings and in the interrog1 atories are incorporated herein and made a part hereof by reference. - ...
“5. That the allegations of the complaint and answer herein are limited to those checks drawn, endorsed and deposited in the manner and form set forth herein, the total sum of which checks . has not at this time been established.”

The trial court found that appellees are trustees of the New Mexico Pipe Trades Welfare Trust Fund, a legal entity established for the purpose of administering a trust for the benefit of certain designated persons employed by members of the Associated Plumbing, Heating and Piping Contractors of New Mexico, - Inc., hereinafter referred to as the “Association;” that John A. Peke was general manager of the Association and administrator of the New Mexico Pipe Trades Welfare Trust Fund, hereinafter referred to as the “Trust Fund,” which two legal entities maintained and operated a joint office for the purpose of transacting the business of both organizations; that the Association administered the Trust Fund and paid all bills and salaries of employees of the Trust Fund, for which administrative services the Association was paid a certain agreed percentage of the receipts of the Trust Fund; that the members of the Association were required to pay,- weekly or monthly, certain sums .to the Trust Fund to be used’for Trust Fund purposes; that the following written contracts were entered into between appellees and defendant Bank:

“Signature card dated November 30, 1953, containing the following:
‘RESOLVED, that xxxxx Two Signatures Required, President-, Vice-President, or Harold Troyer, Secretary John Peke, Administrator of this corporation may, and they are hereby authorized to sign checks and drafts for and on behalf of this corporation, and that each of them be ■ and is hereby authorized to endorse, for and on behalf of this corporation, checks and other instruments for deposit, encashment or otherwise; and that the Albuquerque National Bank, Albuquerque, New Mexico, be, and it is hereby authorized to pay on account of this corporation any and all checks and other instruments signed and/or endorsed in accordance herewith.’
“Signature card dated January 30, 1956, containing the following:
‘RESOLVED, that either-, President, or-, Vice-President, or Thomas W. Hall, Secretary-Treasurer, Secretary, John Peke, Administrator of this corporation may, and they are hereby authorized to sign checks and drafts for and ■ on behalf of this corporation, and • that each of them be and is hereby authorized to endorse for and on behalf of this corporation, checks- and other instruments for deposit, ¡ encashment or otherwise; and that the Albuquerque National Bank, Albuquerque, New Mexico, be and’ it • is hereby authorized to pay on ’account of the corporation, any and . all checks and other instruments . signed and/or endorsed in accord- . anee herewith.’
“This Resolution was amended by :thé; following notation under Special In- ' structions : ’ ’

‘2 (Two) Signatures required.’ ” ». that Thomas W. Hall, the trustee whose name appears on the Trust Fund signature card dated January 30, 1956, never en-1 dorsed any of the Trust Fund checks, and .....if 1 .'! s that none of the persons whose names appear on either of the two signature .cards ever endorsed by signature any of the. Trust Fund checks; that the actual authority of John A. Peke was expressed as per the written instructions of appellees to appellant in that two (2) signature's were required for encashment of'any checks”or the endorsement thereof; that ^ohn ’A.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Rutherford v. Darwin
622 P.2d 245 (New Mexico Court of Appeals, 1980)
Cooper v. Bank of New Mexico
423 P.2d 431 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 1966)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
404 P.2d 125, 75 N.M. 295, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cooper-v-albuquerque-national-bank-nm-1965.